Experimental and Numerical Analysis of T-peel Joints for the Automotive Industry

The T-peel joint is commonly used in the automotive industry, especially in the panels of the load compartment in vans. In order to determine the effect of using a structural adhesive instead of spot-welding, a detailed series of tests and finite element analyses were conducted. The adhesive was a toughened epoxy and the adherend was mild steel used in the manufacture of the car bodyshell. Various parameters were investigated such as the bondline thickness and adherend radius. The spew fillet was maintained flush in all cases. Contrary to the case of lap joints, there are no stress concentrations around the fillet area and, therefore, it is possible to use the maximum uniaxial tensile stress as a failure criterion for these joints. The bending moment at failure was found to be constant across the different geometries modelled, and it was also similar to that found in lap shear joints in previous studies. (C) Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009